October – HBoN

Happy Fall Honey Creek Families! I’ve had a wonderful time over the last month getting to know everyone through general music, band, and choir. I look forward to meeting more families in the coming months, so please feel free to come introduce yourself before or after school. You’re always welcome!

K/1

We’ve been working on exploring our voices by pretending we’re exploding firecrackers, using streamers and following vocal lines. Ask your child to demonstrate the ‘roller coaster’ or the ‘down coaster’!

2/3

The middle elementary students have been doing a variety of activities with a piece of music by Peer Gynt, learning the ‘Hand Jive’, following the theme through all 18 repetitions, and learning what a coda is. See if your student remembers the name of the piece (hint, it sounds like something from Lord of the Rings)!

4/5

The 4/5 students are learning a valuable lesson about respecting one of our nation’s most important songs, The Star Spangled Banner. We’ve watched successful and unsuccessful performances, talked about how we should act during the playing of the anthem, and shared where they’ve heard it before. Ask your child why Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the anthem that we know so well today!

Choir

The choir this semester is a strong group of 13 wonderful voices. Our warm-ups are focusing on learning to sing in harmony, perform in rounds, and develop our vowels. After listening to a variety of pieces, they’ve chosen one popular tune and a lullaby in Slovokian. Learning to sing a new language poses many unique challenges, but I’m sure that these students can handle it!

Beginning Band

Amidst the excitement of getting their hands on brand new instruments, we’ve learned tons of new skills! Putting the instrument together, making our first sounds, reading whole notes & quarter notes, and learning our first 3 notes are just the first steps. I’m very proud of how everyone is diving right in, and there are even some students who’ve gone above and beyond, practicing more than their required hour a week!

Middle School Band

The students are taking on the challenge of extending their skills and memorizing most of their warm-ups, which I know is very tough. We’re also working on reading music more accurately, no more writing in note names. In addition, the students have received two pieces to present to you a the concert this December. The first is fiery and dynamic, and the second is peaceful and lilting. You’ll have to wait until the performance to hear it all come together!